Compositions such as cleaning products, personal-care products, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals often comprise active ingredients which are to be delivered to water or which are required to be active in aqueous conditions, but are sensitive to moisture, temperature changes, light and/or air during storage. Also, these compositions often contain ingredients which may react with one another. Therefore, such ingredient actives are often protected or separated from one another by coating agents or encapsulating agents. For example enzymes, used in detergents, are often incompatible with alkaline or acid materials, bleaches, moisture and light and thus coated to protect them. Because the active materials generally need to be delivered in aqueous conditions, the coating materials need to be chosen such that the coating and actives dissolve or disperse well in water. Many enzymes for example are coated with water-soluble coatings such as starch-based materials.
Another problem with many solid ingredients, in particular enzymes, is that they tend to form dust during handling due to physical forces. This not only creates waste product, but the dust can also cause hygiene and health problems. Again, coating of the ingredients can improve this problem to some extent. The problem with many coated particles is that they do not always exhibit sufficient impact resistance during handling. Thus, even when handling encapsulated enzyme particles, dust is formed which causes health and hygiene problems. A problem with many liquid ingredients is phase separation and with liquids in solid compositions is gelling of the product, migration or ‘bleeding’ of the liquids.
The inventors have now found an improved method of protecting actives and delivering actives in aqueous conditions. They found that when a specific foam component, comprising polymeric material and the active materials is used, effective delivery of the actives and protection of the actives, not only against air-moisture and chemical reactions but also against physical forces, is achieved. The foam component is found to be air-stable under normal humidity storage conditions, but water-unstable to thus deliver the actives, in particular the component disintegrates or dissolves in water, to thus deliver the actives.
The foam component is useful in any product, in particular useful in cleaning products, pharmaceutical products, personal-care products, cosmetic products and fabric-care products. The foams have been found to be very impact resistant, thus resulting in reduced braking-up or abrasion during handling and reduced dust formation. Foam components comprising liquid ingredients result in reduced gelling, reduced migration or phase separation. Foam components with for example enzymes can thus be obtained which are safer and more efficient to handle. Foam components incorporating liquid ingredients provide a convenient way to handle said liquids without the need for a separate container.